COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Dr. B. Don Russell, Regents Professor and holder of the J.W. Runyon Jr. Professorship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elected a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) of the United Kingdom. A world-renowned expert in electric power systems, Russell was recognized for his professional and technical contributions to the engineering profession. The holder of nine patents in protection and control systems for electrical distribution systems, Russell is an internationally recognized expert in power system control and protection. He has directed the Power Systems Automation Laboratory at Texas A&M for more than 25 years and is also a researcher in the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, the engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System. Russell received a bachelor’s degree in 1970 and a master’s degree in 1971, both in electrical engineering, from Texas A&M University. He earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1975 before joining the Texas A&M electrical engineering department in 1976 as an assistant professor. Russell is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional society. Russell has served as president, vice-president and secretary of the IEEE Power Engineering Society and is also a member of the American Society of Engineering Education. In addition, Russell is a former president of the Brazos Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) and has served as the state director of TSPE. Among his many awards and honors is the 1996 "R&D 100" award -- the "Oscars of invention" -- for inventing one of the 100 most technologically significant new products. Russell also won the IEEE Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award, the society’s highest honor, in 1997 for his outstanding contributions to power engineering. NSPE honored him in 1991 with its Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award.
